Accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Nick Brana have thrown the future of his political group the Movement for a People’s Party into doubt.
During a live recording of The Flashpoint Podcast Tuesday afternoon, former MPP member Paula Jean Swearengin claimed that she had witnessed Brana attempting to force himself on the group’s former executive director Zana Day. The assault allegedly took place in New York last July.
“I walked into the room and I [saw] Nick Brana trying to push himself down on Zana,” Swearengin said.
Swearengin also told me and my guest, Status Coup journalist Jordan Chariton, that Brana pressured Day to give him phone sex, even after their relationship ended. It’s part of a pattern, she told me.
“I've seen not only how he abused her but how he abused other people,” Swearengin said.
Day confirmed that version of events in a statement sent to Chariton that he read on his livestream. In the statement, Day says that during the Brana became aggressive once Swearengin and a volunteer left the hotel they were all staying in.
Nick started saying that he wanted to have sex. That it could be quick. I said no. He said it a couple of times again. I said no, we needed to leave that Paula and the volunteer were waiting and I was worried about the time. Nick grabbed my arms and started to push me onto the bed. He was laughing. But I did not find this funny. It did scare me and I was struggling. I didn't know what would happen next if he was being playful or just aggressive. I was getting frustrated, saying no, and struggling to get away so we could leave.
Paula Jean opened the door at that moment. I was relieved. Later I told her that I was relieved that she came into the room because the incident was scary. I told her I didn't know if he was just trying to play with me or being aggressive but that I had said no several times and he still grabbed my wrists and pushed me onto the bed and was climbing on top of me. I felt it was clear that I wasn't playing around.
I’ve reached out to Brana and MPP for comment, but have not received a reply. Their social media accounts have deployed a familiar, but still disappointing, response to criticism—smearing and attacking those making claims and accusations that are unfavorable to Brana and the group.
Despite claiming to be a serious contender for third-party status in the US, the group hasn’t made much of an attempt to gain ballot access around the country and appears more interested in posting on Twitter and getting Brana on YouTube shows like Jimmy Dore.
Where MPP goes from here is an open question. Ultimately these latest allegations are likely to be another indication of the long decline of what was never a very serious “party” to begin with. It would hardly be worth commenting on were it not for the real damage Brana has done to people in his orbit.
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